Eritrea - Some
Facts and Figures
Compiled
by Bill Turnbull W.F.
The Country
Name:
Hagere Ertra, The State of Eritrea.
Capital:
Asmara (formerly Asmera).
Main Towns:
Asmara (390,000), Massawa (80,000), Assab (Aseb)(25,000) (1)
Country
Area: 46,482 sq.mls.
(121,320 sq.kms.) including the 354 islands.
Density:
28 per sq. km. (0.3861 sq.ml.)
Land
Use: arable land: 12%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
49%
forests and woodland:
6%
other: 32% (2)
Irrigated land: 108 sq.mls.
(280 sq.kms.) (3)
Country
Borders: Djibouti (E)
70 mls. (113 kms.), Ethiopia (S) 567 mls. (912 kms.), Sudan (W) 376 mls. (605
kms.)
Coastline:
1,388 mls. (2,234 kms.) in total; 715 mls. (1,151 kms.) on Red Sea mainland,
and 673 mls. (1,083 kms.) on the islands.
Elevation
Extremes: the lowest
point is unnamed at -515 ft. (-157 m.), the highest point is Soria 9,806 ft.
(2,989 m.).
Climate
and Terrain: Eritrea
is mainly an extension of the Ethiopian Highlands and can be divided into three
major zones: the central highlands, the coastal region, and the western lowlands.
The highlands:
are densely populated and intensively cultivated. The hottest month here is
May (85ºf. [29.4ºC.]) and the coldest December-February (32ºf.
[0ºC.]). The highest and lowest temperatures in a day can vary by 33ºf.
(18ºC.). There are two rainy seasons March-April and June-September with
up to 24 ins. (61 cm.) rain annually.
The eastern
slope and coastal region:
is hot, dry desert, or semi-desert, with a fertile agricultural area around
Ghinda (in the central part). The people along the coastal region are pastoralists.
The hottest months are June-August with temperatures between 72ºf. (22.2ºC.)
to 105ºf. (40.6ºC.). December-February are the coldest months with
temperatures between 65ºf. (18.3ºC.) to 90ºf. (32.2ºC.).
The rainy season on the coastal plain is December-March, but it does not often
rain on the southern coast.
The western
lowlands: are from Keren
to the Sudanese border (south-west). It is a semi-arid with just the two seasonal
river systems of the Barka and the Gash. The temperature can reach 105ºf.
(40.6ºC.) in April-June and can drop to 55ºf. (12.8ºC.) in December.
The highest and lowest temperatures in a day can vary by 38ºf. (21ºC.).
There are two rainy seasons March-April and (heaviest) June-September - see
the map on page 13, for a simple outline of the major towns, rivers and
region.
Environment:
The problems have been made worse by the decades of war and the many recurrent
severe droughts. They include deforestation, desertification, soil erosion,
and overgrazing.
The People
Population:
4,135,933 (4) (est. 1 m. in 'exile').
|
Year
|
Total
|
Urban
|
Rural
|
| 1988 |
2,956,231
|
2,455,259
|
500,972
|
| 1998 |
3,879,000 |
700,547 |
3,178,453 |
An estimated
60,000 children were disabled and 45,000 orphaned as a result of the war.
UN sources reported that as a result of the recent border dispute/war with
Ethiopia 1.3 million Eritreans were displaced from their homes. Of thse internally
displaced persons (IDPs) it was estimated that about 25% were women and 65-70%
were children. After three years of drought food was a problem with 600,000
people at risk of famine. (4)
| Age
Structure: |
| 1-14
years |
1,744,611 |
44.97% |
| 15-64
years |
2,031,425 |
52.36% |
| 65
and over |
103,364 |
2.65% |
People per
Physician: 36,000 (5)
| Access
to: |
Total |
Urban |
Rural
(5) |
| safe
water |
22% |
60% |
8% |
| sanitation |
13% |
48% |
- |
Birth Rate:
42.71 births/1,000 population (6)
Death Rate:
12.3 deaths/1,000 population (6)
| Mortality
Rates: |
1960 |
1998 |
2000 |
| Infant |
61
|
-
|
72
|
| Under-Five |
196
|
90
|
136
|
| Life
Expectancy |
40
|
51
|
56
|
Maternal
Mortality Rate: 1,400/100,000
live births) (5)
Infant
Health:
U-5
malnutrition 25% (7)
U-5
stunted growth 50%
(8)
U-5
underweight 44%
(8)
Daily per capita
calorie-intake is estimated at 1,750 Kcals, only 83% of the minimum provided
by WFP as emergency food rations. (8)
U-1
immunization against:
diphtheria,
tetanus, pertussis 46%
poliomyelitis 46%
measles 38%
tuberculosis 52%
Adult Literacy
Rate:
1980 1998
18% 38%
The Major Ethnic
Groups and Languages
Languages:
No official language. There are three distinct linguistic families.
Cushitic
languages are spoken by the Afar, the Beja, and the Saho.
Semitic
languages are the largest family spoken by the Tigrigna (50%) and Tigré
(25%).
Nilotic
languages are spoken by the Baria and the Kunama (in the lowlands between the
Gash and Setit rivers).
English is used
in business and for teaching in Secondary Schools and University. Arabic and
Tigrigna are the main working languages. The spoken Arabic is Hadrami, Sudanese,
and Ta'izzi-Adeni.
Major Ethnic
Groups:
Tigrigna (Tigrinya)
[1,900,000] 50%, in the highlands; Tigré and Kunama [140,000] in the
western lowlands, 40%; Afar [300,000] 4% in the south;Beja (Bedawi) [120,000]
and the Nara [63,000] in the west; Bilen [70,000] around the town of Keren;
Nara [63,000] in the west; Saho [144,000] along the Red Sea coast, the eastern
highlands, and the south; 3% and Somali. (9)
Religions:
Muslim 46%, Orthodox 41.76%, Catholic 3.5%, Protestant, and Traditional Religion
8.74%.
The Government
Independence:
24th. May,1993 (from Ethiopia).
National
Holiday: 24th. May,1993.
President:
Isaias Aferwerki (elected 8th. June, 1993, with 95% of the vote from the National
Assembly).
Constitution:
transitional constitution (19th. May, 1993); a new constitution was adopted
(23rd. May, 1997) but not implemented.
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal.
Type of
Government: transitional.
Administrative
Divisions: 8 provinces
- Akale Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye - for further
details, and for clarification concerning the provinces,
please see the note at the bottom of the map on the opposite page.
Executive
Branch: The President
is the Chief of State, and the Head of Government and the State Council is the
executive authority.
Legislative
Branch: The Transitional
National Assembly (150 seats, unicameral). The membership is as follows: 75
from the PFDJ Central Committee, 60 from the Constituent Assembly, and 15 from
Eritreans living abroad.
Judicial
Branch: The Judicial
branch is made up of the Supreme Court, 10 provincial courts, and 29 district
courts. The legal system is based on transitional laws, revised Ethiopian laws,
customary laws, and post independence enacted laws.
Political
Parties and Leaders:
the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) (Isaias Aferwerki, Petros
Solomon) is the only recognised party. It is the ruling party and was formerly
the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF).
Political
pressure parties/groups and leaders:
Eritrean Islamic Jihad (EIJ); Islamic Militant Group; Eritrean Liberation Front
(ELF) (Abdullah Muhammed); Eritrean Liberation Front - Revolutionary Council
(ELF-RC) (Ahmed Nasser); Eritrean Liberation Front - United Organization (ELF-UO)
(Mohammed Said Nawd).
International
Organisations:
UN Membership:
28th. May, 1993.
OAU Membership:24th.
May, 1993.
Other
Organisations:ACP, AfDB,
CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, PCA, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO.
The Economy
Gross Domestic
Product:
GDP
per capita: $202 (10)
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.9 bn. (11)
GDP
per capita: purchasing power parity - $750 (11)
GDP
real growth rate: 6.8% (10), 3% (11)
GDP
composition by sector:
agriculture:
18%
industry:
20%
services:
62% (12)
Inflation:
9% (7 & 5)
GNP:
$165 (1994), $170 (10)
GNP
per capita: $170 (10), $200
GNP
real growth rate: 8% (13)
Labour
Force Distribution (1990):
Agriculture 1,274,939 80%
Industry/Services 309,334 20%
Total
Labour 1,584,273
Industries:
food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles.
Electricity
Production: 177.6 m.
kWh. all produced from fossil fuel and used in local consumption. (7)
Agricultural
Products: barley, beans,
cotton, coffee, fish, fruit, lentils, livestock, maize, millet, pulses, sesame,
sisal, sorghum, tobacco, vegetables, wheat.
Exports:
$52.9 m. (7) commodities: livestock, sorghum, food,
textiles, footwear, household goods, small manufactures.
Exports
To: Ethiopia 64%, Sudan
17%, Italy 5%, Saudi Arabia 2%, US, Yemen (7)
Imports:
$489.4 m. (7) commodities, processed goods, machinery
and transport (37%), petroleum products, basic manufactures.
Imports
From: Saudi Arabia 16%,
Italy 14%, UAE 13%, Ethiopia 9%, Germany 6% (7)
External
Debt: $75 m. (1995)
$76 m. (1997 est.)
|
International
Debt (5)
|
|
Total Debt
|
Debt
per person |
% of
GDP |
% of
Exports |
|
$149,300,000
|
$38 |
0 |
1 |
Foreign
Debt: $150 m. (10)
Trade Balance:
-$374 m. (10)
Military
branches: Army, Navy,
Air Force
Military
expenditures: $196 m.
(FY97)
Military
expenditures: 28.6% of
GDP (FY97)
Economic
Aid: $123.1 m. (7).
70% of the population rely on aid for all or part of their food supply. Aid
from the USA is equal to 30% of the GNP.
Currency:
1 Nafka = 100 cents (first introduced in November, 1997, equivalent to the Ethiopian
Birr).
Natural
Resources: copper, fish,
gold, potash, salt, zinc, possibly oil and natural gas.
Communications
Main Telephone
Lines
Telephones:
23,578 (8)
Per
100 inhabitants: 0.9 (10)
Households:
736,000 (10)
Residential
main lines: 11,400 (10)
Per
100 households: 1.5 (10)
Main
lines per 100 inhabitants:
0.5 (10)
Waiting
list for telephones:
40,000, >10 years (10)
Radio Stations:
AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 2 (8)
Radio Sets:
345,000 (7)
Television
Stations: 1 (8)
Television
Sets: 1,000 (7)
Transportation
Railways:
total of 197 mls. (317 kms.) narrow gauge. The railway lines from Ak'ordat and
Asmara to Massawa have been out of action since 1978. In 1994 three miles (5
kms.) were reopened in Massawa port and the remainder is being repaired at present.
(15)
Roads:
total: 2,492 mls. (4,010 kms.)
paved:
543 mls. (874 kms.)
unpaved:
1,949 mls. (3,136 kms.) (13)
Main Ports:
Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Airports:
21 (11)
3 with paved
runways:
over 3,332 yds.
(3,047 m.): 2
2,666 to 3,332
yds. (2,438 to 3,047 m.): 1 (11)
18 with
unpaved runways:
over 3,332 yds.
(3,047 m.): 2
2,666 to 3,332
yds. (2,438 to 3,047 m.): 2
1,667 to 2,665
yds. (1,524 to 2,437 m.): 6
999 to 1,666 yds.
(914 to 1,523 m.): 6
under 999 yds.
(914 m.): 2 (11)
International
Airport: Asmara-Johannes
IV (11)
Airlines
serving: Egyptair, Saudia,
Yemenia (11)
Foot Notes:
(1) Populations in 1996; (2)
1998 est.; (3) 1993 est.; (4)
July 2000; (5) 1998; (6)
2000 est.; (7) 1997; (8) 2000;
(9) The population figures in square brackets,
e.g. [120,000], are from Ethnologue; (10) 1996;
(11) 1999 est.; (12) 1995
est.; (13) 1996 est.; (14)
1997 est.; (15) 1999.
Abbreviations
used: ºC. = Centigrade;
ºf. = Fahrenheit; $ = US$; bn. = billion; cm/cms. = centimetres; est.
= estimate; ft. = feet; FY = financial year; in/ins. = inches; km/kms. = Kilometres;
m. = metres or millions (according to context); ml/mls. = Statute Miles; sq.
= square; U-1 = under one year old; U-5 = under five years old; yds. = yards.
This article appeared in "White Fathers - White Sisters" (UK),
issue 356, of February-March, 2001.
The article may be published freely with due acknowledgements
to the "White Fathers - White Sisters" magazine.
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